Toyota Vios 1.5G Limited launched, TRD Sportivo updated

Today’s launch should come as no surprise to readers of this website, as we’ve earlier posted up the brochure, specs and price list of the Toyota Vios 1.5G Limited, the latest variant of Malaysia’s best selling non national badged passenger car. Besides the G Limited, UMW Toyota has also refreshed the range topping Vios TRD Sportivo. Now, the Vios range numbers six variants.

The G Limited sits between the 1.5G and the TRD Sportivo. It sports a refreshed front grille that will also appear on all Vios variants, except for the TRD Sportivo, which gets a honeycomb mesh design and TRD Sportivo logo.

Both the G Limited and TRD Sportivo wear aerokits to differentiate them from lesser variants – both are five-piece items consisting of front and rear spoiler, bootlid spoiler and side skirts – but the G Limited’s aerokit is a newly designed set.

Both trims come with 15-inch alloys with 185/60 tyres, but the G Limited’s 12-spoke wheels are in dark silver, in contrast with the TRD’s seven-spoke bronze coloured items (they were previously in dark silver). The G Limited rims will also feature on the G.

The Deep Amethyst Mica Metallic colour you see here on the G Limited is new; it replaces the discontinued Grey Mica Metallic. Silver Metallic, Coal Black, White and Medium Silver Metallic colours have been carried over.

Both cars feature leather seats. The G Limited’s cabin is in a lighter beige hue with chrome accents, in keeping with its “luxury” positioning. In contrast, the TRD Sportivo, which previously didn’t feature leather, gets black perforated leather with red stitching (also on the steering and gear knob) for a sportier feel.

The front seats also have TRD Sportivo embroidery plus “dual density foam” that gives “better support for reduced fatigue”. For the Vios 1.5E, dual-tone (dark grey and blue shades) seat fabrics are new.

Owners who want better handling can order the TRD Sportivo suspension kit, which is now available as option for all Vios variants. The kit consists of coil springs and shock absorbers with revised spring and damper rates, tuned by TRD Asia for local conditions. Ride height is lowered by 10mm as a result.

Click to enlarge price list

Price wise, the G Limited will cost you RM 89,600 (OTR plus insurance), RM2,300 more than the G. The TRD Sportivo is still priced at RM92,000, so it looks like the addition of leather seats did not push up the price. As with all UMWT vehicles, the Vios comes with a 3-year/100,000 km warranty. The service interval is 10,000 km.

Full live gallery from the launch is after the jump.
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Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.